Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1887-05-26
A Panther on the Watch.

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"Well the tightest squeeze | ever had
came about in queer manner" he replied.
~ had come home 90 Minnesota Ia get well
of n stab given me in an Indian fight In
western Dakota, and the wound was Yet
sore when a friend and myself got ont our
traps together and went mp among the lakes
forming the source of the upper Mississippi
river to hunt IL was about the middle of
September when we got into camp, and my
strange adventure began almost at once.
We pitched upon our site for camp about
10 o'clock in the morning, and before night
had our shanty completed. The hard work
of the day irritated my wound and made me
feverish, and about 10 o'clock at night, ,as we
were ready 10 turn in, took the pail and
started to the spring for some water The
spring was about 800 feet away, with open
woods between The night was clear and
still, with light frost beginning.to fall, and
the slightest noise could be heard. When |
was half way TO the spring heard n chip
munk, weasel or some small animal OF the
sort running on the leaves hundred feet
away, and the sounds actually startled me-
Then heard squirrel run up tree, and
followed him afar up the branches 10y the
sounds of his claws on the bark. | believe
the report of rifle could have been heard
three miles on such night.
II reached the spring, dipped up pail OF
water and drank heartily, and then stood
for moment enjoying the night and the
appalling stiffness Presently heard pc
culiar sound down beyond the spring. 1
can't tell You why or how knew the sound
was made by some wild beast dropping 10
the ground from tree, but that was my
impression. Ii was sly action on the part
of the beast, and on n windy night could
not have been heard twenty feet. Ii went
through me like flash that "A panther
which had been roosiing in one of the big
trees just across the open space beyond the
spring had dropped down 10 attack me, and
| started for the shanty like streak of
lightning had made NO mistake in jump
ing 10 conclusions As | bolted a way "A
horrible scream overlook me, and | made
clean jumps of ten feet after that We had
a couple of hounds at the cabin, and they
were curled up and asleep when / left it.
The yell of the panther brought 'em out
ighty sudd den, and l sup
pose this saved my life. That beast wasn't
thirty feet behind me when the hounds met
and passed me, and next instant there was
"A shindy which would have made your hair
stand up. Jumped into the door Of the
shanty just in time 10 collide with my part
ner and roll us both on the floor, aud before
We could get our guns and get ont the affair
was over-that is, one of our dogs had been
chawed 10 death, the other half killed and
the panther had made of. Ii was certainly
n narrow escape for me. and ! was weak in
the knees when came 10 think il over.
ave did not hear from the beast again
for three days. We put out ninety traps
along the swamps and creeks and found a
bundancc of game in the woods. On the
fourth day, about 10 o'clock in the morning
while my partner was cleaning his gun and
dressing off some rabbits for dinner, | went
out 10 look at some traps set the night be-
fore. My route was along the swamp
shores of a small lake, and IL was n cloudy
day with cold wind blowing. ! had my
gun on my shoulder rs | tramped along, and
had passed the third trap without finding any
victims, when / came under n large tree.
As was not looking for live game / had
not surveyed the limbs above me. The
space between the tree and the water was
not over ten feet, and | was looking ahead
to locate the next trap when | stepped into
n hole and fell sprawling That fall proba-
bly, saved my life. | felt something Craze
me rs | went down, there was a horrible
snarl in my ears, and that internal panther
plunged into the water with a great splash.
| had a shotgun with me, and it was loaded
for small game was up before you could
count fifteen. My fall had flung the gun
several feet away, and rs | could seize it l
looked for the panther. Missing his spring
the way he did probably Disconnected him,
and his cold bath cooled his enthusiasm.
He fioundered around, climed back 10 dry
land, and after indulging in n shake to get
rid of the water, he growled at me and dis
appeared among the bushes. / sent the
charge of shot after him, but he probably got
off shot free.
"Well, got il into my head that that
varmint was after me and nobody else. My
partner had not even got a glimpse of him,
while he had twice attacked me. just left
the traps and made a bee line for the shanty,
and that afternoon we set trap in the woods
to catch his highness. The other dog was
about dead of his terrible wounds, and we
finished him and use him TO bait our trap
further was heard of the panther. Then
my scare began to 90 off, and l set out to
look over half of our traps, while my part
ner took the other half / took further n
round the lake than before, and at IL o.
clock in the forenoon l was through with
the last trap and loaded down with game.
AS couldn't carry the load back TO the
shanty, sat down on n log to shuck some
of the mink and rats, and pretty soon had
forgotten all about the panther. / was near
the butt of the log or fallen tree, the other
end of which was very bushy. l had my
back to this, and had worked for half an
hour when it struck me powerful hard and
all of sudden that i was in danger. Ii
was like voice calling TO me, and Mt the
same moment chill travelled up my back.
1 wheeled square about, and there was that
internal panther creeping down the trunk
as softly as n cat to get nigh enough to
spring on me- At my motion he stopped
short with a spit and snarl, and creased
lightning was no where compared to my
movements. My gun was loaded with
buckshot this time, and lifted her up and
fred Mt him from n distance of about forty
feet He was hit by one or two of the shot,
and the scream he gave was heard by my
partner three-quarters of n mile away. As
he screamed he made flying leap to an